Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), an often deadly respiratory illness that's related to the infamous SARS, first emerged in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012. (Scientists believe it jumped from camels.) But since March 2014, there's been a sharp rise in the number of cases, including two recently diagnosed MERS patients in the United States.

"With more deaths in a single month than in the previous two years combined, no one is certain how people become infected," notes Marjorie P. Pollack, of ProMED-mail, and the virus has no vaccine or cure.

Here's what you should know about MERS  and why people around the world are watching it so closely.

There have been a minimum of 536 MERS cases and 145 deaths. That doesn't seem like a lot, but the vast majority have been reported since April:

mers chart cdc

The numbers reported on the more frequently updated MERS Corona Map are 594 infections and 178 deaths, though not all of those have been confirmed by international health organizations. The largest cluster of cases by far is in Saudi Arabia, with another large cluster in the United Arab Emirates.

MERS is spreading from its hub in the Arabian Peninsula.

mers world map cdc

The presence of MERS has now been confirmed in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Tunisia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Just recently, the Netherlands and the United States joined this unfortunately growing list.

The CDC is taking note of the major points of entry for travelers coming from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates:

Unfortunately, so is everyone else. The guy who starts getting sick while in Dallas for a conference for a week comes into contact with a lot of people in airports and hotels who then head off to the four corners of the country.

11
posted on 05/18/2014 10:14:22 AM PDT
by riri
(Plannedopolis-look it up. It's how the elites plan for US to live.)

If it’s like the Spanish Flu the highest mortality was among young and somewhat older adults who had strong immune systems. Those that died drowned or suffocated due to a cytokine storm. Their immune system over reacted to the influenza virus. The young and the elderly without strong immune systems had a lower mortality rate.

Q: What are the symptoms of MERS?
A: Most people who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About 30% of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness. More about Symptoms & Complications.

A: Most people who got infected with MERS-CoV developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. About 30% of them died. Some people were reported as having a mild respiratory illness.

I was on the Arabian peninsula (the UAE and Oman) just a couple of months ago.While there I had brief contact with a couple of camels (careful,boys and girls,no scurrilous remarks).However,I feel fine so I strongly suspect that I'll be OK.

And BTW...that contact with camels came during a "desert safari"...a popular attraction for many Western tourists while there.

So during that 2 weeks does the healthcare worker get quarenteened ?
Just health care workers?
What about everyone else?
How are they going to know it Is a health care worker? Maybe they aren’t willing to sit on their thumbs for 2 weeks and don’t give their occupation?

29
posted on 05/18/2014 11:25:29 AM PDT
by Kozak
("It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal" Henry Kissinger)

Anas said, "Some people of 'Ukl or 'Uraina tribe came to Medina and its climate did not suit them. So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) camels and to drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they went as directed and after they became healthy, they killed the shepherd of the Prophet and drove away all the camels.

Thanks for the update.
The like you posted finally mentions the MERS patient’s family is being tested. After all, reports of his infection state he arrived in the US ‘to visit with family’. Call me overly cautious, but I’d like to read some confirmation that he indeed was directly related to these ‘family’ members ... not just an opportunist with nefarious intentions visiting some distant ‘cousin of the nth degree’ who just happens to share ideological devotion.

Hospitals, doctors offices are the first place besides school viruses spread, then you can add ships into the mix. I don’t care if they are commercial or Military, they are a closed society for that time frame.

I bleach wipe the hospital room down when hubby had to go in. Knock on wood, he has not picked up any staff infections.

You cannot drag a dirty bucket of mop water room to room even with disinfectant in it, and expect to disinfect a room, much less a whole floor ward. Clean water for each room should be the rule

45
posted on 05/19/2014 6:32:12 AM PDT
by GailA
(IF you fail to keep your promises to the Military, you won't keep them to Citizens!)

“The high mortality associated with the novel Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has raised questions about the possible role of a cytokine storm in its pathogenesis. Although recent studies showed that MERS-CoV infection is associated with an attenuated IFN response, no induction of inflammatory cytokines was demonstrated during the early phase of infection.”

46
posted on 05/19/2014 8:23:17 AM PDT
by GGpaX4DumpedTea
(I am a Tea Party descendant...steeped in the Constitutional Republic given to us by the Founders)

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